The Ripley Vikings will square off against the Nitro Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (Ripley 14.5, Nitro 7.2) so any points scored will be well earned.
Ripley will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Point Pleasant, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. The Vikings took down the Big Blacks 42-23 on Friday. The victory was nothing new for the Vikings as they're now sitting on three straight.
Ripley's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Parker Keller, who picked up 99 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and one TD on only six carries. Those 80 rushing yards gave Keller a new career-high. Ripley also got help from Cody Lawrence, who showed off his sure hands for 81 receiving yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Ripley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Ripley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kyler Fisher and Caleb Parsons. Eli Huffman was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making five total tackles.
Meanwhile, while Nitro put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Riverside. The Wildcats simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Warriors 41-0. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Wildcats just coasted through the last quarter.
Ripley better keep an eye on CHRIS RADCLIFFE. He was instrumental in Nitro's win, rushing for 131 yards and one score on only ten carries. With that strong performance, RADCLIFFE is now averaging an impressive 110 rushing yards per game. MALACHI THOMPSON was another key player, picking up 88 receiving yards and one TD.
One reason for the win was Nitro's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. XAVIER PATTERSON was especially locked on to Riverside's QB and sacked him 2.5 times. Nitro got some further help from COHEN LUSHER: he forced one fumble and made nine total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Ripley's record is now 3-1. As for Nitro, their record now sits at an identical 3-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Ripley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 233.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Nitro struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 147.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Ripley was dealt a bruising 43-6 loss at the hands of Nitro in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Vikings were down 30-6.
